Jane Ervin: Pa. has chance to boost pre-K education

Opinion: Why is pre-K education a good investment?

About 7,000 public high school seniors are receiving diplomas this time of year in Lehigh and Northampton counties. But that pales in comparison to the number of even younger Lehigh Valley learners — about 13,500 in all — who are missing out on the once-in-a-lifetime learning opportunity that can help them earn that diploma: publicly funded, high-quality pre-kindergarten.

The fact is, pre-K has a ripple effect that goes far beyond the early years. Research shows kids who benefit from high-quality pre-K enter school with stronger literacy, language, math and social/emotional skills. They also are less likely to need special education services, less likely to repeat grades, and more likely to graduate high school and enroll in college. And over a lifetime, these young learners will see stronger employment opportunities and increased earning potential, and they will be less likely to end up on the wrong side of the law.

All of this adds up to benefits not only for the child but also for all of us. High-quality pre-K saves us money. The problem is, not enough children have access to it.

In Pennsylvania, only about one in six of our 3- and 4-year-olds (18.9 percent) is able to attend publicly funded, high-quality pre-K. In Lehigh County, that statistic is even lower at 15.1 percent, and it drops further to just 11.7 percent in Northampton County.

A budget proposal on the table at the state Capitol would increase the state's investment in high-quality pre-K by $120 million — less than a half percent of the state's total proposed budget for the coming fiscal year. This increased investment would make high-quality pre-K available to 14,000 more children across the commonwealth, increasing access from one in six of our 3- and 4-year-olds to about one in four.

This budget proposal presents Pennsylvania with a tremendous opportunity to make significant inroads in providing high-quality early learning opportunities for many more children, especially for those who need it the most. It represents an investment in Pennsylvania's economy and in its future workforce.

Business leaders across the commonwealth recognize the economic value of early learning. It's time for our legislators to support Pennsylvania's economy and businesses by supporting an investment in expanding high quality pre-K.

Why should we make this investment? Because we all benefit from it. An economic analysis by the Pennsylvania Economy League shows that every $1 Pennsylvania invests in high-quality pre-K generates $1.79 in immediate new spending. That means if Pennsylvania funded pre-K for all 3- and 4-year olds in the commonwealth, the investment would generate $800 million in additional goods and services and create nearly 28,000 jobs statewide.

The return on investment is even more impressive in the long term, because every dollar invested in pre-K returns up to $17 in savings and benefits to the commonwealth in the form of a reduced reliance on taxpayer-funded social services, reduced crime and incarceration costs, and increased earning power in a better educated, more competitive workforce.

Many other states understand what a powerful economic tool high-quality pre-K is, and they are outpacing Pennsylvania when it comes to expanding access to these programs, putting us at a competitive disadvantage. Most of our neighboring states are making high-quality pre-K available to a far higher percentage of young learners.

A national preschool report card issued in early May found Pennsylvania continues to lose ground in the effort to expand pre-K access. We dropped to 15th in the nation in pre-K access for 3-year-olds in 2013-14, and we remain stuck at 30th for 4-year-olds.

We can turn this around and make Pennsylvania a national leader in high-quality pre-K, in turn helping us build our economy and draw the interest of more employers, workers and their families. To do this, we need to start making investments in high-quality pre-K a priority in Harrisburg — and it needs to start now.

Jane Ervin is president and CEO of the Allentown-based Community Services for Children and a board member for the Harrisburg-based Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children.